Winter is coming – make sure you don’t have a gas emergency

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Winter is coming – make sure you don’t have a gas emergency

If you leased a property with gas appliances in London, the landlord would be required, by law, to maintain the pipes, appliances and flues. Additionally, he or she would be required to have a gas safety check every year and supply you with a record of such within 28 days of it being performed.

Those Londoners are pretty smart cookies considering that gas problems can kill, and then there’s the massive property damage or even destruction that may occur.

Anytime you smell gas, it’s an emergency. But odor isn’t the only sign that there may be a gas leak. Pacific Gas and Electric in California suggests that you call your utility if any of the following occur:

Whistling or hissing sounds.

Damage to the connections to gas appliances.

Dead or dying vegetation over or near pipeline areas.

Exposed pipeline (typically after an earthquake).

Yes, you can prevent gas emergencies

Your first line of defense in preventing a gas emergency is to know what to look (and smell) for. A rotten egg smell is the most common sign of a gas leak.

If you suspect a gas leak, don’t touch anything, especially light switches. But, touching anything may cause a spark, so quickly and gently leave the home immediately.

Once you are a safe distance away, call the gas company (or 911 if you can’t reach the gas company).

Maintenance of your property may help prevent the most serious gas problems. Tasks include:

Maintain gas pipes to prevent corrosion and leakage. Have the gas pipes inspected periodically for signs of corrosion and leakage.

Have your gas appliances inspected and cleaned periodically by an authorized service technician. Most appliance manufacturers recommend having their products serviced every one to two years.

A gas stove will produce a red or yellow flame only when it requires service. If pilot lights frequently blow out, the stove requires service.

Clogged dryer lint traps cause fires. They need to be cleaned out before each use.

If you have a gas fireplace, have the chimney inspected annually. Blockages, such as birds’ nests, can create inadequate ventilation of combustible fumes.

Have your heating system inspected annually to ensure that it is clean and properly vented and replace worn parts.

Replace the furnace and return air filters every 90 days unless there are pets on the property. In this case, filters should be replaced every 60 days.

Failure to perform maintenance not only presents a real danger to you and your family but to your pocketbook as well. The average price, nationwide, to repair a gas line is $482, with most property owners spending between $261 and $737.

Gas furnaces cost anywhere from $2,500 to $14,000 and the installation may run you another $1,000 to $4,200, depending on the scope of the job.

A new gas water heater will cost from $400 to $2,000, but then you will need to consider the installation costs. “It can cost anywhere from $700 to $2,000 to install a water heater,” Jason Hanleybrown, CEO of Fast Water Heater Co. in Bothell, Wash. tells Angie’s List’s Joshua Palmer.